For the past 10 years, I have been starting up companies and have been largely responsible for the architecture, design and guidance of the web services these companies delivered.  When I was not in meetings with venture capital people or my marketing partners, I have been in my den, chatting with my programmers and writing my code.

I have always had one computer whose sole purpose was a communications station with AIM, Yahoo and Jabber windows open on it.  In the heyday of Interactive Intertainment, Inc.  there would be as many as  twelve such windows running while I multitasked answering questions for various people in the enterprise.  It got pretty hairy sometimes.

The funny thing is, I never really thought of myself as being a "telecommuter" because the companies I have worked with were all small start-ups and I tended to create them.

It is only recently that I have begun to think of what I do as being a professional telecommuting consultant.  It is only the past few weeks that I have started to think about that componant of what I do as PART of what I do.

 Of course, this catharsis comes at the worst possible time.  I am, as I write this, between companies.  I find myself bereft of a situation.  I am unemployed, without gainful enterprise, a bum.

Ok, so here I am, 8:30 wednesday morning.  I'm ready to
start telecommuting mr. DeMille!

The only problem is that I don't have a current
contract and since I have been telecommuting
to work, 1st to Oklahoma, then to Minnesota, I don't
really know anyone in Massachusetts anymore.

note to self:  STAY IN TOUCH with collegues and former clients.

I think that one of the things that allows me to be productive in a telecommuting environment is that I am somewhat of a recluse.  I don't need to be around the happy sounds of others telling off-color jokes and asking why their printers don't produce the same hue as their neighbors.  In fact I rather enjoy the quiet solitude of my den, the problem before me and my four keyboards.  I concentrate best when allowed to "zone" into my work without the distractions of the office place.

Don't get me wrong, after 30 years of being a consulting programmer, I have lived in more than my share of cubicles.  I have enjoyed the company of many other professionals all devoted to a common goal (more often than they would admit.)  But, for me, when the chips are down, I need to zone.  On-site, that means having a CD player and good headphones to shut out the noise around me.  And so, I like my den.

Anyway, I digress.

I've been answering help wanted ads in Western Ma.
but good opportunities, close by tend to be sparse.

On the other hand, just as my entire career has been about discovering the underpinning of someone elses science, here too, in Western Mass, I have just discovered another.  The underpinnings of a telecommuter, me.

Question, if I blog here and move past the
complaining stage, will I be growing a
support network or am I just whining?

Only time will tell. 

Welp,  thanks for the water break, now

Back to work!

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